2 CORINTHIANS V. IO, II. We must all appear before the Judgment-feat of Chrift, that every one may receive the Things done in his Body, according to that he bath done, whether it be good or bad.

Knowing therefore the Terrors of the Lord, we · perfuade Men.

***** 8X

T is the Privilege and diftinguishing Character of a rational Being to be able to look forward into Futurity, and to confider

his Actions, not only with refpect to the prefent Advantage or Difadvantage arifing from them, but to view them in their Consequences through all the Parts of Time in which himself may poffibly exist. If therefore we value the Privilege of being reasonable

2

reasonable Creatures, the only Way to preferve it, is to make use of it; and by extending our Views into all the Scenes of Futurity, in which we ourselves must bear a Part, to lay the Foundation of folid and durable Happiness.

By the Exercise of this Power of Reason, the Wisest among the Heathens discovered, that there was Ground for Men to have Expectations beyond this Life. They faw plainly that themselves, and all Things that fell under their Obfervation, were dependent Beings on the Will and Power of him who formed them; and when they fought to find him, they were led by a necessary Chain of Reasoning to the Acknowledgment of a fupreme, independent, intelligent Being. They faw in every Part of the Creation evident Marks of his Power, Wisdom, and Goodnefs They difcerned that all the inanimate Parts of the World acted perpetually in Submiffion to the Law of their Creation; the Sun and all the Hoft of Heaven were conftant to their Courses; and, in every other Part, the Powers of Nature were duly and regularly exerted for the Preservation of the prefent System: Among Men only they found Disorder and Confufion. That they had

Reafon

Reason, was plain; that they were intended to live according to Reafon, could not be doubted; and yet they faw Virtue often diftreffed and abandoned to all the Evils of Life, Vice triumphant, and the World every where fubject to the Violence of Pride and Ambition. How to account for this they knew not: This only they could obferve, that Man was endowed with a Freedom in acting, which the other Beings of the lower World wanted; and to this they rightly ascribed the Disorders to be found in this Part of the Creation. But though this accounted for the Growth of Evil, yet it rendered no Account of the Juftice or Goodnefs of God in permitting Vice oftentimes to reign here in Glory, whilft Virtue fuffered in Diftrefs. Upon these Confiderations they concluded, that there must be another State after this, in which all the prefent Inequalities in the Administration of Providence fhould be fet right, and every Man receive according to his Works.

This was, this is the Ground of our natural Expectation of a Life after this. But upon this Ground of Truth many Fables and Stories were raised, by Fear and Superftition, and by the Power of Imagination: So that ¦ VOL. III. C c

the

the general Belief, though right in its Foun-dation, yet in almost all the Particulars of it was rendered ridiculous and abfurd.

Hence

it is, that among the Writers of Antiquity, we fometimes find wife Men ridiculing the Follies and Superstitions of the People, and bad Men always arguing from these Follies against the very Notion itself, and calling in question the Reality of any future State.

Under thefe Circumstances of the World, our bleffed Lord appeared to bring to Light Life and Immortality through the Gospel. Let us then confider how this fundamental Article of Religion now ftands upon the Foot of the Gospel Revelation.

As to the principal Point, there is no Difference between the Hopes conveyed to us in the Gospel, and the Expectation built upon natural Reason: For, as the wifeft Men thought there muft be, fo the Gospel affures us there will be, a Day in which God will judge the World in Righteoufnefs, and render to every Man according to his Works. Thus far then the Doctrine of the Gospel, and the Dictates of natural Reason must stand or fall together. If this Doctrine has had a larger and more extenfive Influence through the Authority of the Gofpel, than it could have

had

had by the mere Force of fpeculative Reasoning, the World has received an Advantage by the Encouragement given to Virtue, and the Restraint laid upon Vice by these Means, which ought ever to be acknowledged with Thankfulness.

But the Gospel has added to this Doctrine, and communicated to us the Knowledge of fome Circumstances, which were not difcoverable but by the Means of Revelation; and they are principally thefe: That there shall be a Refurrection of the Body; That Christ fhall be Judge of the World; That the Rewards and Punishments in another Life shall be in Proportion to our Behaviour in this.

I fhall fpeak briefly to these Particulars, and fhew for what Purpose they were revealed.

First, The Refurrection of the Body was revealed to give all Men a plain and a fenfible Notion of their being subject to a future Judgment. Death is the Deftruction of the Man; and fure we are that the lifeless Body is no Man; and whatever Notions fome may have of the Soul in its State of separate Existence, yet a mere Spirit is not a Man; for Man is made of Soul and Body: And therefore to bring the Man into Judgment to anfwer

Cc 2