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as these, as it it to find out the Tendency of them; for they are not fo properly to be taken for Arguments upon the Question in Difpute, as for Reflexions on the Method and Design of the Holy Scriptures; that they shou'd leave Room for Cavil and Controverfie in Articles of fuch Importance, by not expreffing themselves fo fully upon them, as to be incapable of Mif-interpretation. I can only fay, I fear there will never be wanting a Handle, fuch as it is, for Reflections of this Nature; for Contumaciæ Deus nullum pofuit Remedium. But to the Reader that fearches the Scriptures only for Truth, and brings with him a docible Temper to receive it, by the means of fuch Evidence as it is reasonable for him to expect, and fuch as a wife Man will depend upon, in any other Argument, I doubt not but the Immortality of the Soul, appears now in a fufficient Light.

But there is another Thing to be accounted for, and that is, Why we have not in Scripture fo pofitive and particular an Account of the intermediate State, as of the final State after Judgment; tho' the former, in fome refpect, more nearly concerns us, as it is at a lefs Distance from us. And here, after all that has been faid to the other Scruple, which may equally ferve to clear up this, we need only observe briefly,

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1st, That tho' the intermediate State has the Advantage of a nearer Prospect to work upon Men; yet, in the main, the final State is the more effectual, and proper Motive to their Hopes and Fears,and theirActions deriving from thence: For that is an eternal State, and Eternity is the strongest Motive that Omnipotence can offer, or Man is capable of receiving. We can fhorten any other Profpect, by fixing our Eye upon the End of it; but the boundless Prospect of Eternity is our confummate Happiness or Mifery. And befides this, the final State has the Advantage of a Re-union of Body and Soul; by which the Condition of it is made fenfible, and nearly affecting to the weakest, and the most vicious, which is the greatest Part of Mankind; who perphaps have but faint, if any Notions, of the Condition of a feparate Soul. Upon this account the Heathens Elysian Fields were full of all the innocent Pleasures, that virtuous Men are delighted with in this World; and their infernal Regions were stockt with Furies to lash and scourge, in a literal Senfe, the vicious Inhabitants of them. This was a good Contrivance to make Impreffions on the Vulgar; and wanted only an Authority to affect the judicious: But Heaven and Hell are Things, in themselves, more affecting to every Capacity; and, as they stand reveal'd

veal'd in the Gofpel, do as abfolutely command the Affent of the wifeft, as the most ignorant. No Wonder therefore, that the Wisdom of God has made these the chief, and almost only Motives to Obedience. But as for those who are not influenc'd by these, their Profpect must be wholly confin'd to this Life, and terminate with it; and upon fuch, a Revelation of the intermediate State wou'd have no Effect.

2dly, Let it be confider'd that the intermediate State, is dependent upon the final State, as the final State is upon this; and therefore needed not be fo particularly reveal'd. We sometimes think it fufficient to threaten a Villain with the Gallows, without urging his Apprehenfion, Imprisonment, Arraignment, or Sentence; and yet all thefe are pertinent Confiderations in his Cafe; and accordingly the Sinner's Apprehenfion by Death, his Arraignment and Sentence at the general Judgment, are frequently infifted upon in Scripture. But we may obferve in the other Cafe, that the Criminal's Imprisonment needs no particular Proof, as being included between his Apprehenfion and Arraignment; and this vindicates that Expreflion of Scripture, after Death comes the Judgment, from any Denial of the intermediate State; efpecially if it be confider'd, that Death and Judgment have an immediate Connexion in the Gofpel,

Gofpel, as to their Influence upon each other 3 but the intermediate State is not, ftrictly fpeaking, the Chriftian Reward. And yet,

3dly, This State is fufficiently reveal'd in Scripture: Being with Chrift, and others confequently being abandon'd from his Prefence; and the Spirit returning to God that gave it, till he fhall pleafe to account with it, before Men and Angels, are Expreffions that carry along with them fufficient Matter, to fill a capable Understanding, with many large Contemplations. And indeed were there no one Expreffion in Scripture, relating to this State; and we had only Reafon to Judge it, from what the Scripture fays of the Nature of our Soul, to be a State of Expectation of our final Doom; we might, methinks, be fatisfy'd with this, which, fince it is our chief Duty to think on Death and Judgment, wou'd be no mean Entertainment for our intermediate Thoughts. If a Consciousness of Guilt or Innocence, join'd with a certain Expectation of a righteous Judgment, be a Heaven or Hell upon Earth; we need not be at a loss for the Heaven or Hell of a difembody'd, and enlarg'd Spirit; whofe Profpect of either State will be more infallibly certain,and clear; whofe Reflections must be ftronger, and its Sense of Good and Evil more exquifite and poinant. Z 2 This

This is all I will prefume to fay, or, I think, need be faid for any Chriftian's Satisfaction, as to the reality of the intermediate State; and having added thus much concerning that, and the Principle upon which it is built, the Immortality of the Soul, to the Light we have from Scripture in this Controverfie, I hope this long Chapter has fully anfwer'd the Title of it.

CHAP. VII.

The Author of Second Thoughts, his pretended Answer to Objections from Philofophy, Reafon, and Scripture examin'd, and the true Nature of Human Soul farther vindicated.

TH

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HE luxuriant Author, fearing his defign'd little Treatife hou'd grow voluminous, pretends in this ChapPag.240. ter, only to answer those of his Adverfary's Objections, that urge most strongly for their Opinion: And if the Reader will take his Word for it, that those, as he has recited them, are the ftrongest of his Adverfary's Objections, he's half-converted before

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