Of the resurrection of the body
John Gill
Though the immortality of the soul
may be known by the light of nature, yet not the resurrection of the body; the
one arises from the nature of the soul itself; but the other does not arise
from the constitution of the body, but depends, upon the sovereign
will and power of God: now the will and purpose of God, or what he has
determined to do, is secret, and cannot be discovered by the light of nature,
and is only known by divine revelation. It might be known by the light of
nature, that God can raise the dead if he will, because he is Almighty, and
nothing is impossible to him; though it has been asserted by some heathen
writers, that it cannot be done by God himself: one says
{1}, it is not in the power of God to raise the dead; and says another {2} it
seems to me, that no one can make one that is dead to live again: which is
false; since by the light of nature, and the works of nature, are known the
eternal power and Godhead, or that God is eternal and infinitely powerful.
Indeed, it cannot be known by the light of nature, that God will raise the
dead; this is of pure revelation: hence heathens, destitute
of it, had no knowledge of the resurrection of the body: that that was mortal
they all agreed; and that the soul was immortal, the wiser part of them
especially, affirmed: but that the body, when dead, should be raised to life
again, this Tertullian says {3}, was denied by every sect of the philosophers.
Those, the most refined among them, and who pretended to a greater
degree of knowledge than others, as the philosophers of Athens, were so
ignorant of this doctrine, that, as some think {4}, they took Jesus, and
anastasiv, the word used by the apostle Paul for the resurrection, when
preaching to them, to be the names of some strange deities they had never heard
of before; and therefore said, "He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange
gods", #Ac 17:18. The heathens had no faith in this
doctrine, nor hope of it; and therefore are sometimes described as without
"hope", #Eph 2:12 1Th 4:13,14 that is, of the resurrection of the
body, neither of their own nor of their deceased relations {5}; and this may be
rather thought to be, at least part of the sense of the apostle in these
passages; since in his defence before Felix and Agrippa he represents the
resurrection of the dead as the object of the hope of the
Jewish fathers, #Ac 24:15 26:6-8. Yea, the Gentiles, not content with barely
denying this doctrine, have treated it with the utmost scorn, calling it a
dream, fancy, and madness {6}, an old wives' fable {7}; as abominable and
detestable {8}; and of all the tenets of the Christians, it was held in the
utmost contempt by Julian the apostate {9}; the abettors of it were always
accounted by the heathens vain, trifling, babbling fellows
{10}, as the apostle Paul was by the Athenian philosophers of the Epicurean and
Stoic sects {11}, #Ac 17:18,32; it was so contrary to the reasonings of the
unenlightened Gentiles, that they judged it quite incredible, and pronounced it
beyond all belief of rational creatures; hence, says the apostle Paul, when before
Festus the Roman governor, and king Agrippa, a Sadducee, why
should it be thought a thing "incredible with you that God should raise
the dead?" as it seems it was {12}, #Ac 26:8.
Some have thought the Gentiles
had knowledge of the resurrection of the dead, which they conclude from some
notions of theirs, which seem to bear some semblance to it,
as is thought; as that the soul after death has a perfect human shape, and all
the same parts, external and internal, the body has; that they both have an
equal duration after death; that there is a transmigration of souls into other
bodies, especially human; that man may be translated, soul and body, to heaven,
of which they give instances; which, perhaps, take rise from the translations
of Enoch and Elijah, communicated by some tradition or
another; and particularly, that after certain periods and revolutions, when the
stars and planets are in the same configuration and aspect to one another they
formerly had, the same men shall appear in the world, and the same things in
succession be done in it as formerly have been {13}. But I must confess, I
cannot see any likeness between any of these notions and the
Christian doctrine of the resurrection of the dead: and at most and best, they
are only hints borrowed from the Jews and their writings; or are the broken
remains of some tradition, received from their ancestors, originally founded on
divine revelation; so Plato {14} seems to speak of it, as an ancient tradition,
that the dead shall live again. Likewise the belief of this doctrine among the
pagans is argued from their account of future punishments;
as of Aridaeus, and other tyrants, having corporal punishments inflicted on
them; of Sisyphus, Ixion, Tantalus, and others; which may arise from the above
notion of the soul having the same parts with the body. Some passages are also
produced out of the heathen writers in favour of this doctrine; as some Greek
verses of Phocylides, whose poem, perhaps, is the work of a
Christian, or of some Jewish writer; and the opinion of the Persian
"magi", that men shall live again; which they doubtless had from
Zoroastres, their founder, said to be originally a Jew, and a servant of one of
the prophets. Some particular persons are mentioned as raised from the dead to
life; the most remarkable of which is the case of one Er Pamphilius, who, after
he had been dead twelve days, revived on the funeral pile;
and which seems to be credited by Plato {15}: but if such stories as these can
be believed, why should the doctrine of the resurrection be judged incredible
{16}?
But though the doctrine of the
resurrection is above reason it is not contrary to it; though
it is out of the reach of the light of nature to discover it, yet being
revealed, it is not repugnant to it; it is entirely agreeable to the
perfections of God, knowable by it, and is no contradiction to them; for
considering the omnipotence of God, with whom nothing is impossible, it is what
may be: and though there are some things which argue imperfection and weakness,
and imply a contradiction, which God cannot do; yet the
resurrection of the dead is not an instance of either; it is no contradiction,
that dust formed out of nothing, and of it a body made, and this reduced to
dust again, that this dust should again form the body it once constituted: and
this can be no instance of imperfection and weakness; but a most glorious
instance of almighty power: and if God could, out of the dust of the earth,
form the body of man at first, and infuse into it a living
and reasonable soul; then much more must he be able to raise a dead body, the
matter and substance of which now is, though in different forms and shapes; and
reunite it to its soul, which still has a real existence: and considering the
omniscience of God, who knows all things, it is not impossible nor improbable
that the dead should be raised; since he knows all the particles
of matter bodies are composed of; and when dissolved and transmuted into ten
thousand forms, knows where they are all lodged, whether in the earth, air, or
sea; and his all-discerning eye can distinguish those which belong to one body
from those of another, and his almighty hand can gather and unite them, what
are necessary, and range them in their due place and order. Nor is it beneath
or unworthy of God to raise the dead; for if it was not
unworthy of him to make a body out of the dust of the earth, which became
subject to infirmities, corruption, and death; it cannot be unworthy of him to
raise weak, inglorious, corruptible bodies, as they are when laid in the grave,
powerful, glorious, and incorruptible. Nor is it inconsistent with the goodness
of God; for by this he does no injury to any of his creatures;
neither to those that are raised, nor to others, rational or irrational. Not to
the angels; for the children of the resurrection will be like unto them: nor to
the brute creation, who will not be; and who, if they were, would not suffer by
it: nor will any injury be done to those that are raised, neither to the
righteous nor to the wicked, since both will then receive a recompence for the
deeds done in the body, whether good or evil. Some such
like reasonings as these are used by that ancient learned apologist,
Athepagoras {17}. Besides, the justice of God seems to make it necessary that
the bodies both of the righteous and the wicked should be raised; that being
united to their souls, they may partake with them of the glory and happiness
provided for the one, and they are made meet for; and of the punishment justly inflicted on the other; having been partners together either
in sufferings or in sins.
However, the doctrine of the
resurrection is most certainly a doctrine of pure revelation; the Jews were
first peculiarly favoured with it; having "the oracles of God
committed" to them, in which this doctrine is clearly revealed; and yet
there were some among them who disbelieved it; as the
Sadducees, who "erred, not knowing the Scriptures", which assert it;
nor "the power of God", which can effect it: and of the same
sentiment were the Hemerobaptists {18} and the Essenes {19}: also the
Pharisees, at least some of them, held the Pythagorean notion of the
transmigration of souls into other bodies {20}: but it is more surprising, that
since Christ has abolished death, by his own resurrection
from the dead, and by the gospel brought to clearer light this doctrine of the
resurrection; that some very early, who bore the Christian name, should deny
it; as some in the church at Corinth, and Hymenaens and Philetus, #1Co 15:12
2Ti 2:18 who were followed by Simon Magus, Saturninus, Basilides, Carpocrates,
Valentinus, and others, too numerous to recite: and of late
is rejected by Socinians and Quakers. Nevertheless, since it is a doctrine of
such great importance, on which all other doctrines of the gospel depend, as
well as the faith, hope, and comfort of the saints, #1Co 15:13-19 it should be
held fast, abode by, and defended to the uttermost. The resurrection to be
treated of is not a figurative one; neither civil, like that of the Jews
restoration from captivity, represented by a resurrection,
#Eze 37:1-28 nor spiritual, as the resurrection of the soul from the death of
sin to a life of grace: but the resurrection of the body, in a literal sense,
the quickening of mortal bodies; and not a particular resurrection, or a resurrection
of particular persons; of which there are instances both in the Old and New
Testament; but the universal resurrection; the resurrection of
men, both just and unjust; of which,
1. I shall give the proof from
the sacred writings. It appears to have been the faith of the saints in all
ages, according to the scripture account of them. It was the faith of Abraham,
the father of the faithful, #Heb 11:19 Ro 4:17-20 and of Joseph, as appears by the orders he gave concerning his bones, and his
carefulness about the interment of them, #Heb 11:22 and of Moses, in
celebrating the divine perfections in his song, #De 32:39 with which words the
mother of the seven brethren, who suffered martyrdom in the times of the
Maccabees, animated them while suffering {21}; and of Hannah, in her song,
expressed in much the same language, and more explicit,
#1Sa 2:6. This was the faith of Job, which he expresses, not only in the famous
text hereafter to be considered, #Job 19:25-27 but also in #Job 14:12,14,15.
And likewise of David, who not only speaks of the resurrection of Christ, when
representing him, #Ps 16:10 but in his last words, where he expresses his
strong faith of his complete salvation, of soul and body, in the everlasting
covenant, #2Sa 23:1,5. And also of Isaiah, and other
prophets, who speak of the resurrection of Christ, and his people with him;
which they either expressly make mention of, or allude unto, when they foretell
figurative resurrections, #Isa 26:19 Ho 6:1,2 Eze 37:11-14 Da 12:2. This was
the faith of those who suffered martyrdom in the times of the Maccabees, who
refused deliverance that they might obtain "a better resurrection",
even the resurrection of the just, #Heb 11:35 and in the Apocrypha:
``26 For though for the present time I should be delivered from the
punishment of men: yet should I not escape the hand of the Almighty, neither
alive, nor dead.''(2Maccabees 6:26)
``11 And said courageously, These I had from heaven; and for his laws
I despise them; and from him I hope to receive them again.'' (2 Maccabees 7:11)
And this was the faith of the
Jewish fathers and of all the Old Testament saints, #Ac 26:6-8
Heb 11:13. This was the faith of Christ and his apostles, as declared in the
writings oil the New Testament; to give the whole compass of the proof of this
would be to transcribe a very considerable part of them. The doctrine of the
resurrection of the dead will admit of proof from scripture types; as the
deliverance of Isaac from death; from whence Abraham received him in a figure:
the budding and blossoming of Aaron's dry rod, thought by
some to be an emblem of it: the reviving of the dry bones in Ezekiel's vision;
but especially Jonah's lying three days and three nights in the whalers belly,
and his deliverance from it. However, if God could save Isaac when so near
death; cause a dry rod to bud, blossom, and bring forth almonds; make dry bones
to live; and deliver Jonah out of the whale's belly, it need not
be questioned that God can raise the dead. To which may be added, the several
instances of particular persons raised from the dead; as the widow of
Zarephath's son, by Elijah; the child of the Shunammite, by Elisha; and the man
cast into his sepulchre on the touch of his bones; those who came out of their
graves at our Lord's resurrection, and who were raised by him in his lifetime;
as the daughter of Jairus, the widow of Naim's son, and
Lazarus; Dorcas by Peter; and Eutychus by the apostle Paul: and if these
particular resurrections are to be credited, as doubtless they are, then the resurrection
of all the dead need not be thought incredible, But this doctrine may be
further proved,
1a. First,
from express passages of scripture. As,
1a1. From #Ge
3:15 which gives the first intimation of the
Messiah and his
work, which was to bruise the serpent's
head, to
destroy the devil and all his works; among which,
death,
the effect of sin, is a principal one. This Christ
has abolished
in himself by raising himself from the dead;
and will
abolish it in his members, and even in all men, by
the
resurrection of them at the last day; when, and not
before, all
that is meant in the above passage will be
1a2. From #Ex
3:6 produced by Christ himself in proof of this
doctrine;
"As touching the resurrection of the dead", says
he,
"have you not read that which was spoken to you by God;
saying,
I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the
God of Jacob;
God is not the God of the dead but of the
living?"
#Mt 22:31,32. Let it be observed, that it is not
said, "I
was", or "will be"; but, "I am the God of Abraham",
&c.
which, as it relates to covenant interest, respects a
covenant
in being, and an abiding one, even the covenant of
grace; which
is concerned, not only with the souls of men,
but their
bodies also, their whole persons; wherefore, as
the souls of
the above patriarchs now live with God, who is
the God of
the living only, in the enjoyment of the promised
good;
it is necessary their bodies should be raised from the
dead, that,
with their souls, they may enjoy the everlasting
glory and
happiness promised in the covenant; or otherwise,
it would not
appear to be ordered in all things and sure.
1a3.
From #Job 19:25, &c. "I know that my Redeemer liveth", &c.
None of the Jewish
writers {22}, indeed, understood these
words of a
real, but of a figurative resurrection; and
suppose, a
deliverance from his afflicted state, and a
restoration
of him to his former health, honour, and
happiness,
is meant; in which sense they have been followed
by some
learned Christian interpreters {23}; at which the
Socinians
{24} have greedily caught: but Job's restoration
is not
expressed by such phrases as here used; see
#Job 42:10,12
and against this sense may be observed, that
Job
was so far from any faith, hope, and expectation of such a
restoration,
that he utterly despaired of it; see #Job 6:11
#Job 7:7,8
10:20 16:22 17:1,14,15 and even he expresses the
same in this
very chapter, #Job 17:10,11. Besides something
of greater
moment seems to be meant, as the solemn preface
shows;
"O that my words were now written!" &c. and what he
had in view
appears to be future, at a great distance, after
death, the
consumption of his body by worms, and was his
comfort under
his afflictions; and was an answer to what
Bildad said,
#Job 18:12-14 and the vision, with the eyes
of
his body he expected, is not suited to any state in this
life; but
rather to the state after the resurrection, when
the saints
shall see God in Christ, and Christ in the flesh,
with the eyes
of the body. To which may be added, Job speaks
of the awful
judgment, between which and death there must be
a
resurrection from the dead, #Job 19:29. Upon the
whole, it is
an observation of an ancient writer {25},
"No one since
Christ speaks so plainly of the resurrection
as this man
did before Christ."
Though
Spinosa {26} foolishly says, the sense of the text is
confused,
disturbed, and obscure.
1a4. From
#Isa 26:19. "Thy dead men shall live", &c. which
words
are an answer to the prophet's complaint,
#Isa 26:14.
"They are dead, they shall not live", &c. and
which answer
is made by the Messiah, to whom the characters
given, #Isa
26:4,12,13 agree; assuring the prophet, that his
people,
though dead, should live again, either at the time
of
his resurrection, or in virtue of it; for the words are
literally
true of Christ's resurrection and of theirs by
him;
"With my dead body shall they arise", as many of the
saints did,
at his resurrection; or, "as my dead body",
after the
exemplar of it; or, "as sure as my dead body";
Christ's
resurrection being the pledge of his people's; and
the following
phrases confirm this sense; "Awake, ye that
dwell in the
dust", &c. see #Da 12:2. "Thy dew is the
dew of
herbs", compared with #Isa 66:14. "The earth
shall cast
forth her dead"; see #Re 20:13. The Jews {27}
refer
this prophecy to the resurrection of the dead.
1a5. From #Da
12:2. "And many of them that sleep in the dust of
the earth
shall awake"; which is generally understood of the
resurrection
of the dead, both by Jewish and Christian
interpreters;
only Grotius, after Porphyry the heathen,
interprets
the passage of the return of some of the Jews to
their cities
and habitations, after the generals of
Antiochus were
cut off: but surely this return was not of
any of them
"to everlasting shame and contempt", but the
reverse;
nor of any of them "to everlasting life", seeing
they are all
since dead: nor is it true that the Jewish
doctors, from
that time, shone illustriously; but, on the
contrary,
their light in divine things became dim, and they
taught not
the doctrines of the scriptures but the
traditions
of men. On the other hand, the whole agrees with
the
resurrection of the dead, as described by our Lord,
#Joh 5:28,29.
And when the bodies of the saints will be
raised in
incorruption, power, and glory, they will shine like
the sun in
the kingdom of their Father. Besides these, there are
other
passages of scripture referred to by the apostle, in
#1Co 15:54,55
as proofs of this doctrine; as #Isa 25:8
#Ho 13:14
which will have their full accomplishment at the
general
resurrection. The passages out of the New Testament
are too
numerous to recite, and so plain as to need no
explanation;
and many of them will be made use of in other
parts of this
subject.
1b. Secondly, this truth may
be proved from various doctrines contained in the scripture; as from the
doctrine of election, which is of the persons of men, souls and bodies, unto everlasting happiness; and therefore their bodies
must be raised, that they, united to their souls, may enjoy that happiness, or
the end will not be attained: from the gift of the same to Christ, and who was
charged, when given to him, to lose none, but raise them up again at the last
day; which must be done, or his trust not discharged, nor his Father's will be
fulfilled: from their union to Christ, whose "bodies
are members of him", and a part of his mystical body, by virtue of which
union they will be raised; or else he must lose a constituent part of those who
are his mystical body and his fulness: from the redemption of them by Christ,
which is both of soul and body; both are bought with the price of Christ's
blood, and therefore their bodies must be raised from the dead, or Christ must
lose part of his purchase: also from the sanctification of
the same persons, in soul and body, by the Spirit of God, in whose bodies he
dwells, as in his temple; and therefore, unless raised, he will lose that which
he has taken possession of as his dwelling place, and a considerable part of
his glory as a sanctifier. Moreover, the general judgment, which is a most
certain thing, requires the resurrection of the dead, as necessary to it: nor
will the happiness of the saint's be complete, nor the
misery of the wicked proportionate to their crimes, without the resurrection of
their bodies: but the grand and principal argument used by the apostle, #1Co
15:1-58 in proof of this doctrine, with so much strength, is the resurrection
of Christ. To which may be added, that there will be need of and uses for some
of the members of the body in heaven; as the eye, to see Christ
in the flesh, and one another; the ear, to hear the everlasting songs of
praise; and the tongue, to sing them: as well as we read of men being cast into
hell with two eyes, two hands, and two feet; yea, even the whole body. Nor may
it be improper to observe, the translations of Enoch and Elijah, soul and body,
to heaven; and the saints that rose at our Lord's resurrection, and went to heaven
in their risen bodies; and the saints who will be alive at
Christ's coming, and be caught up into the air to meet him, and be for ever
with him. Now it is not probable that some saints should be in heaven with
their bodies and others without them; and therefore a general resurrection must
be asserted and allowed {28}. I proceed,
2. To
consider the subjects of the resurrection, who they are, and what that is of
them that shall be raised.
2a. First, who they are that
shall be raised; not the angels, who die not, and therefore cannot be the
subjects of the resurrection; nor the brute creatures, as say the
Mahometans {29} and some Jewish doctors {30}; since they have no immortal
spirits for their bodies to be raised and united to; nor would they be of any
use, nor is there any service for them in a future state. Only men shall rise
from the dead, and not all of them; some have been translated, that they should
not see death, and so cannot be said to rise from the dead; and others will be
alive at Christ's coming, and will be changed, but not die;
which change cannot be called a resurrection. But all the dead, all that are in
their graves, whether in the earth or sea, shall rise and come forth, and those
whether righteous or wicked; the resurrection of both is strongly asserted by
Christ, #Joh 5:28,29 and by the apostle Paul, #Ac 24:15. The distribution of
the persons to be raised are of these two sorts, the just and the unjust; that the just, or righteous ones, will be raised from
the dead there can be no doubt; since the resurrection of the saints is called
"the resurrection of the just" from them, #Lu 14:14 it being peculiar
to them; and "the first resurrection", #Re 20:6 because they will
rise first; and "the better resurrection", #Heb 11:35 being better
than that of the wicked; and of which only some are counted worthy, #Lu 20:35 and is what the apostle Paul desired to attain unto,
#Php 3:11 called exanastasiv, "a resurrection out from" the dead, the
wicked dead. The arguments before used to prove the resurrection in general
being such as chiefly regard the resurrection of the just, the proof of this
need not be further enlarged on. But the resurrection of the wicked being
denied by some of the Jewish writers, in which they have
been followed by the Socinians, though they care not to speak out their minds
fully; and to which the Remonstrants and Armininns have shown a good liking; it
will be necessary to confirm this. The arguments of the one and the other
against the resurrection of the wicked are taken,
2a1.
From reason: they reason from the mercy of God, that if he
will not
eternally save them, yet surely it cannot be
thought that
he will raise them from the dead merely to
torment them;
it will be enough to be deprived of happiness
in heaven. The
answer to which is, that though God is
naturally
and essentially merciful, yet the displays of his
mercy to his
creatures are according to his sovereign will
and pleasure,
#Ro 9:15 Isa 27:11. Besides, he is just as
well as
merciful; and it is necessary from the justice of
God, as will
be observed hereafter, that the bodies of the
wicked
be raised, not merely to be tormented, but that his
justice might
be glorified in the righteous punishment of
them. They
further argue, that Christ is the meritorious
cause of the
resurrection; and since he has merited nothing
for the
wicked or reprobate they shall not be raised. The
answer
to which is, that Christ is the meritorious cause of
the
resurrection of life, but not of the resurrection of
damnation;
the saints will rise to life by virtue of union
to Christ,
through his merit, and the power of his
resurrection:
not so the wicked; they will rise, not through
his
merit, and by virtue of union to him, but by his
almighty
power. They also urge, at least some, that the
wicked die an
eternal death, and therefore rise not from the
dead; which
they think is a contradiction: but it should be
observed,
that eternal death, which is the second death, in
distinction
from the death of the body, and is a casting of
both body and
soul into hell, is not inconsistent with the
resurrection
of the body; yea, it requires that: and though
corporal
death is one part of the punishment of sin, which
punishment is
perpetual; nor is it removed by the
resurrection
of the wicked, since their bodies will be
raised in
such a state as to bear eternal punishment {31}.
2a2. There
are other arguments and objections against the
resurrection
of the wicked, taken from various passages of
scripture,
as from #Ps 1:5. "Therefore the ungodly shall not
stand in
judgment"; which words are rendered in the
Septuagint
and Vulgate Latin versions, "Shall not rise again
in
judgment"; but admitting these versions were agreeable to
the Hebrew
text, as they are not; it will not follow that
the
wicked shall not rise again from the dead, but shall not
rise again so
as to appear in the congregation of the
righteous at
the day of judgment, as in the next clause; for
they will not
rise when the righteous do, at the first
resurrection,
the resurrection of the just; besides, the
word
used does not intend the resurrection of the wicked,
but their
standing before God in a judicial sense, when
raised; and
the meaning is, they shall not stand before him
with
confidence, nor be able to justify themselves and
vindicate
their cause, and so must fall and not stand in
judgment.
Another scripture made use of is in #Isa 26:14.
"They
are deceased, they shall not rise": which must be
understood
either of those wicked lords who had formerly
dominion over
the people of Israel, but now dead, and should
not rise
again and live on this earth to tyrannize over
them;
or of the people of Israel themselves, and of the
death of
great numbers of them; and express the prophet's
complaint of their
present state, and of his distrust of
their revival
and restoration from it; and it may be also of
their future
resurrection, to which there is an answer
#Isa
26:19 as has been observed; and considered either way,
cannot
support an argument against the resurrection of the
wielded. The
words of the prophet Daniel, #Da 12:2 before
observed,
though a plain proof of the resurrection of the
dead, both
righteous and wicked, yet are improved by some
against
the resurrection of the wicked; since not "all" but
"many"
are said to awake, and those many are only a few, and
those only
the righteous Israelites: to which may be
replied, the
"many" may be understood universally, as in
#Ro 5:19 and
in other places {32}; or in a comparative sense
with
respect to the few that shall be alive when the dead
are raised;
or rather distributively, many shall awake to
everlasting
life, and many to everlasting shame and
contempt; and
besides may respect the different times of
rising, many
at the first resurrection to the former, and
the
rest a thousand years after to the latter. Many can
never design
a few; as the Israelites were the fewest of all
people,
especially the righteous among them; and even the
righteous of
all nations are but few in comparison of the
rest; besides
the prophet speaks of some awaking to
everlasting
shame and contempt, which can only be understood
of the
wicked; so that the prophecy is a clear proof of
their
resurrection. Others object that passage in
#Ec 7:1. "Better is the day of death, than the
day of one's
birth";
since if the wicked rise again, it must be worse
with
them at death than at their birth; but the words are
not spoken of
the wicked or reprobate, who, it would have
been better if
they had never been born, or had died upon
their birth,
than to have lived to aggravate their
condemnation
by a continuance in sin, and with whom it will
be
worse at death; but of the righteous, who die in the
Lord, and are
blessed in their death, being freed from sin
and sorrow,
and are with Christ; which is far better than
coming into,
and continuing in a troublesome world. Even the
words of the
apostle, in #1Th 4:16. "The dead in Christ
shall
rise first", are urged by some against the
resurrection
of the wicked; since such that die in Christ
are only
believers in him, and therefore they, and not the
wicked, shall
rise: the answer is, that though the apostle
is speaking
only of those that die in Christ, true believers
in
him; yet not here, nor any where else, is it said, that
these only
rise. Besides, the apostle says of these, that
they shall
rise first; which supposes, that others shall
rise
afterwards, who have no claim to this character; a
first
resurrection of believers in Christ, supposes a second
resurrection
of those who are not such {33}. But that the
wicked shall
rise, is not only to be proved from express
passages of
scripture, before observed, #Da 12:2
#Joh 5:28,29
Ac 24:15 but also from reason; as from the
justice of
God, which requires, that sins committed in and by
the
body, as most sins are, should be punished in the body; that
being not
only an necessary, but a partner with the soul in
sinning, and
an instrument by which sin is committed, and so
deserving of punishment:
and whereas the wicked do not
receive in
this life the full reward of punishment in their
bodies;
it seems necessary from the justice of God, that
their bodies
should be raised, that with their souls they
may receive
their full recompence of reward. Besides, it may
be concluded
from the general judgment; when some will be
"cast
into the lake of fire", #Re 20:12,15 which must be
understood
of the wicked; and if all must "appear before the
judgment seat
of Christ", to receive for what has been done
in the body,
then the wicked must appear there, that they
may receive
for the bad things they have done in the body;
to which
appearance and reception, there must be a
resurrection
of them from the dead. The scriptural account
of the
punishments and torments of the wicked, manifestly
supposes a
resurrection of their bodies, signified by outer
darkness,
weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth; by a
furnace and
lake of fire and brimstone, and by being cast
into
it, with two eyes, hands, and feet; and be these
metaphorical
and proverbial speeches, there must be
something
literally true, to which they refer.
Besides,
Christ
exhorts his disciples, "to fear him, who is able to
destroy body
and soul in hell", #Mt 10:28. To which may
be
added, that this notion that the wicked rise not, must
have a
tendency to licentiousness, to take off all
restraints
from wicked men, and embolden them in a vicious
course of
life, according to #1Co 15:32. From all which
it may be
concluded, there will be a resurrection of the
wicked,
as well as of the righteous {34}; indeed there will
be a
difference between the resurrection of the one and of
the other;
the righteous will rise first, at the appearance
of Christ; the
wicked not till a thousand years after:
saints will
rise by virtue of union to Christ; the wicked
merely
by his power; their resurrection will differ in their
adjuncts;
though the bodies of the wicked will be raised
immortal, and
in such a state as to bear perpetual
punishment,
yet will not be clothed with glory; whereas the
bodies of the
saints will not only be raised immortal and
incorruptible,
but powerful, spiritual, and glorious, even
fashioned
like to the glorious body of Christ. The end will
be different
also; the one will rise to everlasting life;
the other to
everlasting shame and contempt; hence the one
is called the
resurrection of life, and the other the
resurrection
of damnation. I go on,
2b. Secondly, to enquire, what
of men shall be raised? Man consists of two parts, soul and body. It is not the
soul that is raised, for that dies not. There were some Christians in Arabia
{35}, who held, that the soul dies with the body, and at the resurrection
revives, and returns to its own body; but that is an immaterial and immortal
substance, as has been proved in a former chapter; but it is the body which
dies, that shall be raised from the dead; it is that only that is mortal, and
shall be quickened; it is that only which is laid in the grave, and shall come
forth from thence; it is that which sleeps in the dust of the earth, and shall
be awakened from thence; for,
2b1. The body
is not annihilated, or reduced to nothing at death,
as say the
Socinians {36}; which is contrary to reason and
scripture; at
death there is a disunion of soul and body;
but
neither are reduced to nothing; the body returns to the
earth, and
the soul to God that gave it; and though the body
after death
passes under many changes and alterations, yet
the matter and
substance of it will remain in some form or
another {37}:
death is sometimes expressed by returning to
dust;
but then dust is something: and by seeing corruption;
but that
supposes something in being, which is corrupted,
matter and substance
still remaining; but annihilation
leaves
nothing: and by sowing seed in the earth, which rots;
by pulling
down a house; and putting off a tabernacle. But
seed
sown, though it dies and rots, it does not lose its
being, nor
its nature; but being quickened, in due time, it
buds, and
puts forts its seminal virtue: and so a house pulled
down, and a
tabernacle unpinned, the matter and substance, and
the various
parts of them, remain. And if the body was reduced
to
nothing at death, Christ would lose part of his purchase,
and the
Spirit his dwelling place, #1Co 6:15,19,20. To
which may be
added, if this was the case, the resurrection
would not be
a resurrection, but the creation of a new body.
As for those
scriptures which speak of the dead as "not",
#Jer
31:15 the meaning is, not that they do not exist; but
they are not
where they formerly dwelt, having their former
possessions
and friends; but they are somewhere; their souls
are either in
heaven or in hell; and their bodies in the
grave: and
when the apostle says, "Meats for the belly, and
the
belly for meats; but God shall destroy both it and
them":
the sense is, not that the body, or any part of it,
as the belly,
should be destroyed, as to its substance, but
as to its
use, in receiving food to supply the natural wants
of the body,
as now; though it will be necessary as a
constituent
part, and for the ornament of it.
2b2. The
body, at the resurrection, will not be a new, aerial,
and celestial
body, as Origen and others thought; or a
spiritual
one, as to its nature and substance. It will be
different
from what it is now, as to its qualities, but not
as to its
substance: when the apostle compares it to seed
sown in the
earth, which is "not the body that shall be",
#1Co 15:37,38
he designs not a difference of substance, but
of qualities;
such as is between the seed sown, and the
plant
that springs from it; which differ not in their
specific
nature, but in some circumstances and accidents; as
the
difference in the risen body lies in incorruption,
glory, power,
and spirituality, #1Co 15:42-44. The same
comparison is
made of Christ's body, #Joh 12:24 and yet it
was
not a spiritual body, when raised, as to substance, but
consisted of
flesh and bones, as before, #Lu 24:39 and such
will be the
bodies of the saints; and though the body will
be raised a
spiritual one, as the apostle affirms, yet it
will not be
changed into a spirit, and lose its former
nature;
but will be subject and subservient to the soul, or
spirit; be
employed in spiritual services, and delight in
spiritual
objects; and will not be supported in a natural
way, and by
natural means, but be like the angels, #Lu 20:36
and though it
will consist of flesh and blood, yet be
neither
sinful, nor frail and mortal; which is the sense of
#1Co 15:50
but pure and holy, incorruptible, and immortal,
#1Co 15:53.
If the body was a new, aerial, celestial body,
different in
substance from what it is, it would not be a
resurrection,
but a creation; nor would it be consistent
with
the justice of God, that such new, created bodies,
which never
sinned, should be everlastingly punished; nor
can such be,
said to be truly human bodies, that are without
flesh and
blood; nor such to be men, who are incorporeal;
nor can the same
persons who have sinned, be said to be
punished;
nor the same who are redeemed be glorified, unless
the same body
is raised. Wherefore,
2b3. It may
be proved, that the same body that now is, will be
raised from
the dead; this is fully expressed by Job,
#Job
19:26,27 who firmly believed, that "this body" of his,
which would
be destroyed by worms, should be raised again;
and in that
very "flesh" of his he should see God incarnate,
and that with
the selfsame eyes he had, and not another's;
and which is
as strongly asserted by the apostle Paul,
#1Co
15:53,54. "This mortal must put on immortality; this
corruption,
must put on incorruption"; pointing to the
present
mortal and corruptible body he then had; and which
is confirmed
by what follows; "So when this corruption", &c.
which would
not be true if another, and not the same body
was
raised: and elsewhere he says, that Christ will change
"our
vile body"; but if not the same body, but another, it
will not be
our vile body that will be fashioned like to the
body of
Christ. For the further confirmation of this, let
the following
things be observed.
2b3a. The
notation of the word "resurrection"; which signifies a
raising up
again that which is fallen {38}; by death the
body falls,
#2Sa 3:38 Joh 12:24 now if another, and not the
same body, is
raised, which fell, it will not be a
2b3b. The
figurative phrases, by which it is expressed, show it;
as by
quickening seed sown; and by awakening out of sleep:
now as it is
the same seed that is sown and dies, which
springs
up, and appears in stalk, blade, and ear, as to
nature and
substance, though with some additional
circumstances;
so it is the same body that dies, is
quickened and
raised, though with additional glories and
excellencies;
the same IT that is sown in corruption; the
same
IT that is sown in dishonour; the same IT that is sown
in weakness;
the same IT that is sown a natural body, is
raised in
incorruption, in glory, in power, and a spiritual
body; or
there is no meaning in the apostle's words,
#1Co 15:42-44
and as it is the same body that sleeps that is
awaked
out of it in a literal sense; it is the same body
that falls
asleep by death, which will be awaked and rise at
the
resurrection.
2b3c. The
places from whence the dead will be raised, and be
summoned
to deliver them, prove the same; our Lord says,
"All
that are in the graves shall come forth" {39}: Now what
of men are
laid in the grave but their bodies? and what else
can be thought
to come forth from thence? and what but the
same bodies
that were laid there? the sea, death, and the
grave,
are said to deliver up the dead in them, which must
be the same
that are buried in the earth and sea; for what
else can such
expressions design?
2b3d. The
translations of Enoch and Elijah, were in the very same
bodies
they had when on earth; the bodies of the saints,
which arose
out of their graves, when opened at Christ's
resurrection,
were the same that were laid in them; the
bodies of the
living saints, at Christ s coming, which will
then be
changed, will be the same they had before that
change:
now it is not reasonable to suppose, that some of
the saints in
heaven should have the same bodies they had on
earth, and
others not.
2b3e. The
resurrection of Christ's body is a proof of this truth;
since
he rose from the dead with the same body he suffered
on the cross,
and was laid in the grave; as appears from the
print of the
nails in his hands and feet, seen by Thomas
after his
resurrection: nor was it an aerial nor spiritual
body, as to
its substance, since it consisted of flesh and
bones,
which a spirit does not, and might be felt and
handled, #Joh
20:25,27 Lu 24:39,40. Now Christ's
resurrection
is the exemplar of the saints; according to
which their
vile bodies, and so surely not new, spiritual,
and celestial
ones, will be fashioned. Nor can it be
reasonably
thought that Christ, who partook of the same
flesh and
blood with the children, should be raised and
glorified in
the same body, and not they in theirs, for
whose sake he
assumed his.
2b3f.
It seems quite necessary from the justice of God that not
others, but
the same bodies Christ has purchased, the Spirit
has sanctified,
and which have suffered for the sake of
Christ,
should be glorified; and that those, and not others,
should be
punished, that have sinned against God, blasphemed
the
name of Christ, and persecuted his saints.
2b3g. This
may be concluded from the veracity of God, in his
purposes,
promises, and threatenings; for if the good things
he has
appointed for, and promised to his people, are not
bestowed
upon the same persons; and the punishment
threatened is
not inflicted on the same persons, where is
his veracity?
and how they can be the same persons, without
having the
same bodies, is not easy to understand.
2b3h.
It would be a disappointment to the saints, who are waiting
for the
redemption of their bodies, if not the same, but
others, should
be given them.
2b3i. If the
same bodies are not raised, the ends of the
resurrection
will not appear clearly to be answered; as the
glorifying
the grace of God in the salvation of his people;
and of his
justice, in the damnation of the wicked; or how
shall
everyone receive in his body for what he has done,
either good
or evil, if the same bodies are not raised which
2b3j. If the
Christian doctrine of the resurrection of the dead
is not of the
same body, it seems to be no other nor better,
than the old
Pythagorean notion of the transmigration of
souls
into other bodies. The objections to the identity of
the risen
body, will be considered hereafter. I go on,
3. To observe the causes of
this stupendous affair.
3a. The
efficient cause is God: a creature is not equal to it; it is always ascribed to
God, #Ro 4:17 2Co 1:9 it is a work of almighty power; and being a work "ad
extra", is common to the three divine Persons. As the resurrection of
Christ is frequently attributed to God the Father, so is the resurrection of
the saints, #1Co 6:14 2Co 4:14. Christ, as God, is a coefficient cause of it;
both of his own and of theirs, #Joh 5:22 of his own, #Joh
2:19 Ro 1:4 and of theirs: he has the keys of the grave, and can open it at his
pleasure; and at his commanding voice the dead shall come forth; and he will
change the vile bodies of his saints, and fashion them like his own, #Re 1:18
Joh 5:28 Php 3:21. The Spirit God also will have a concern in this affair, #Ro
8:11.
3b.
Christ, as the Mediator, is the meritorious cause of it; it will be in virtue
of his death and resurrection, which is the earnest and pledge of it; as sure
as he is risen, so sure shall his people rise; he is the first fruits of those
that sleep: and, as man, he is the exemplar of it; the bodies of the saints
will be raised like his, incorruptible, immortal, powerful, and glorious.
3c. The instrumental cause, or
means, the voice of Christ, and the sound of a trumpet; the same with the voice
of the archangel, and the trump of God, #Joh 5:28 1Th 4:16 1Co 15:52. But
whether this voice will be an articulate voice, like that at the grave of
Lazarus; or be a violent clap of thunder, called the voice of God, #Ps 29:1-11 and whether this trumpet will be blown by angels; and
the shout made, be the shout of all the angels, is not easy to say.
3d. The final cause, is the
glory of the grace and mercy of God, in the complete salvation of his people,
soul and body; and of his justice, in the punishment of the wicked,
soul and body, #John 5:29.
As to the time of the
resurrection, it cannot be exactly fixed; nor does it become us curiously to
enquire into it, any more than into the time of the kingdom and the hour of
judgment, #Ac 1:6,7 Mt 24:36 in general, it is said to be at "the last
day", #Joh 6:39,40,44,54 11:24 at the last day of the
present world; at the coming of Christ, they that are his will arise; when he
shall descend from heaven, the dead in him will rise first; when the present
earth shall be burnt up, and a new one formed, in which the saints will reign
with Christ a thousand years; at the close of which the wicked dead wilt be
raised, #1Co 15:23 1Th 4:16 Re 20:5.
4. There are many objections
made to this great and glorious doctrine; the principal of which will be
attended to.
4a. That maxim, or aphorism,
is sometimes alleged; "a privatione ad habiturn non datur
regressus"; from a total destruction of any being, there is no restoration
of it to its former state and condition: this may be true of things according
to the common course of nature, and by the power of nature; yet will not hold
good of what may be done in an uncommon and extraordinary way, and by the power
of God. Besides, the bodies of men at death are not totally destroyed, in any
way whatever, with respect to their matter or substance;
whether reduced to ashes by fire; or cast into the sea, and devoured by fishes;
or interred in the earth, and crumbled into dust; yet they are in being, and
are something; out of which, it is not impossible, they may be raised by the
power of God.
4b. It is
objected, that the body is dissolved into so many, and such small particles,
and these scattered about, and at a great distance, and united to other bodies;
that these should be distinguished, and separated from those to which they are
united; and be gathered together, and replaced in their proper order; and that
they should meet in their proper places in the body, as if it was with choice
and judgment, seems incredible, if not impossible. But, as
it has been already observed, considering the omnipotence and omniscience of
God, who knows where every particle of matter lies, and can collect and range
them together in proper order, the resurrection cannot be thought neither
incredible nor impossible. Besides, it has been observed by some, that
particles as numerous and more minute, as those of light be, are governed by, and subject to, certain fixed laws, when they
seem to be in the greatest disorder; and may be separated from others, and be
collected in "camera obscura", in a dark chamber, into the exact
image of a man: and then what impossibility is there, that the parts of a body,
though dispersed, and mingled among others, should be brought together again,
and compose the same body; any more than the particles of
light do the figure of it, after so many mixtures with, and percussions against
other particles {40}? And it is further observed, that the parts of which the
visible body is composed, were as much scattered over the whole earth, almost
six thousand years ago, as they will be many years after death, or at the end
of the world; and so not more impossible in this case, than at first to collect
the parts so dispersed, and to bring them into order. And
moreover, let the bones of a skeleton, or the wheels and parts of a watch, be
jumbled and thrown together in the utmost disorder; yet a good anatomist can
put all the bones of a skeleton, and a good watchmaker all the wheels and
pieces of a watch, into the same structure again, so as to compose the very same
skeleton and watch; and of infinitely more wisdom and power is the great
Artificer of all possessed, to put the human body, though
its parts lie ever so dispersed, and in disorder, into the same structure again
{41}. And as to the union of the particles of the body, with other bodies, and
the difficulty of the separation of them, those that are well versed in
chemistry, are able to produce innumerable examples of things that adhere and
unite closely with one another, which are yet easily separated, by the addition of a third {42}. And as to the distance of the
parts of the body, and the unlikelihood of their meeting at the same places of
the body to which they belong, as if they acted with choice and judgment; it is
observed, that the lodestone will draw iron when at a distance from it; and
that the heavenly bodies, which are at a great and almost immeasurable
distance, are subject to a law that brings them towards each
other; and such is the virtue of the lodestone, that let iron, lead, salt, and
stone, be reduced to a powder, and mixed together, and hold the lodestone to
it, it will draw the iron only, and as it were by free choice out of this
composition, leaving all the rest of the bodies untouched {43}. And surely
then, the great Alchemist of the world, and he who is the Author of the
lodestone, and has given it the virtue it has, is capable
of doing as great, and greater things, than these; he can gather together the
particles of the dissolved body, though ever so distant and dispersed, and
separate and distinguish them from other bodies they have been united to, and
put them in their proper place, in their own body.
4c. The
various changes and alterations the body undergoes are objected to the same
body being raised; it is observed, that in the space of seven years all the
particles of the body are changed; some lost and others got; and it seems
impracticable that the same body should be raised, since its particles are not
the same in youth as in old age, nor when emaciated as in better circumstances;
and therefore being raised according to which, it may, it
cannot be the same. It may be observed,
that though the body has not always the same fleeting particles, which are
continually changing, as the fluids are, yet it always has the same solid and
constituent parts; and so a man may always be said to have the same body and to
be the same man; it is the same body that is born that dies, and the same that
dies that shall rise again; the several alterations and
changes it undergoes, with respect to tallness and largeness, fatness or
leanness, do not destroy the identity of the body. Moreover, it is not
requisite that all the particles of matter of which the body of a man has been
composed, throughout his lifetime, should be collected, to constitute the risen
body; it is enough that all the necessary ones should be collected and united
together; otherwise it must rise in a gigantic form. It is
a good distinction made by a learned writer {44}, of an "own" or
"proper" body, and of a "visible" one; the visible body
consists both of fluids and of solids; the former of which change and alter,
according to difference of years, of constitutions, and other circumstances;
but the latter continue the same: an own or proper body, consists almost only
of solids; as of skin, bones, nerves, tendons, cartilages,
arteries, and veins; which continue the same from infancy to the age of
maturity, and so on, excepting the strength and size of them; and so sufficient
to denominate the same body, notwithstanding the change of the fluids, and of
the flying off and accession of the fleeting particles. And as every animal, so
man, has a first principle, or "stamen", which contains the whole own
body; and which, in growth, is expanded or unfolded, and
clothed, as it were, and filled up with other particles continually; so that it
is enough if this stamen is preserved, and at the resurrection unfolded and
filled up, either with the same matter that belonged to it before, or with such
other matter as it shall please God to constitute the same body; let one die,
as it may, when a child, or full grown, or with a loss of a
leg or an arm, or with any defect; since all will be filled up in the expanded
"stamen", as observed {45}.
4d. The grossness and gravity
of bodies, are objected, as rendering them unfit to dwell in such a place as
heaven, all fluid, and purely ethereal. As for the grossness of raised bodies, they will not be so gross as may be imagined,
or as they now are; though they will not be changed into spirits, as to
substance; they will be spiritual bodies, in the sense before explained; they
will be greatly refined and spiritualized; and will not be supported in such a
gross manner as with food, drink, &c. as now; and will be light, agile, and
powerful, and capable of breathing in a purer air. As to the
gravity of them, a learned man observes {46},
``There is no such thing as
gravity in regions purely ethereal, which are above the reach and activity of
particular orbs; there is no high and low in such places; our bodies will be
there sustained, as the globe of the earth, and the several celestial orbs, are now sustained in the "air" and
"ether".''
And he further observes, that
perhaps, after all, our heaven will be nothing but an heaven upon earth; or some
glorious solid orb, created on purpose for us, in those immense regions which
we call heaven; and he says, this is no new opinion, but embraced
by many of the ancients: and certain it is, that the raised saints will,
quickly after their resurrection, inhabit a new earth for a thousand years,
prepared for them. As for the objection, taken from the impurity of bodies, and
their unworthiness and unfitness to be united to souls; and their being a
prison and a burden to them; and so would make the condition of souls worse:
these are only heathenish notions, and cannot affect the
minds of Christians, and require no answer. But,
4e. There is another
objection, of more importance, which must be removed; which is taken from human
bodies being eaten by men, either through necessity, as in distressed
cases; or of choice, as by cannibals, or man eaters; whereby the flesh of one
man is turned into the flesh of another; and one human body becomes a part of
another; and so there cannot be a distinct resurrection of each of these
bodies, with the proper parts belonging to them. In answer to which, there is
no need to say, as an ancient learned apologist {47} seems to do, that the
substance of one man's body, when eaten by another, does
not turn to nourishment, nor become the flesh of the other that eats it; it
being not designed by providence for food; since it is certain, men have been
nourished by it, as when in distress, as well as otherwise: let it be observed,
that it is a very small part of the food a man takes into his body, which turns
to nourishment; not above the fiftieth part of it, according to the accurate Sanctorius {48}: and daily experience teaches, that what we
use for food, belongs only to the "visible" body of an animal, and
the fluids and juices thereof; and not its solid parts, its bones and nerves:
nor is a cannibal, or man eater, nourished with withered and dried bones, and
with nerves and membranes, divested of their juices {49}; and so is nourished,
not with the own proper body; but only with the "visible" one, and the fluids thereof. Besides, the nourishment of the
bodies of men, is without their will and knowledge, and entirely depends upon
the will and pleasure of God; in whose power it is to hinder that no one
essential particle of a body should belong to another, through nourishment by
it, and that even after a natural manner; there is no impossibility in it,
since by numberless chemical experiments, as further observed,
it will appear, that though a body has the property of uniting itself to another,
yet it can be hindered by the addition of a third, and by other ways too, from
doing the same {50}: and God, who has promised to raise the bodies of all men,
will take care that nothing relating to nourishment should hinder the
performance of it; and that the particles of one man's body shall never so
become the particles of another, as that the resurrection
of either should thereby be rendered impossible {51}. And it is observed by a
learned writer, that if even a cannibal, during his whole life, had fed upon
nothing but the matter of the visible bodies of men, and it had only pleased
God to hinder the "stamina" of all those whom he had devoured from
being converted into food; but that they should have passed through his body,
with other excrementitious matter; what impossibility is
there that the particular "stamen" of each person (supposed to be his
"own proper" body) should be separated from thence, and be filled up
again by other proper matter? Thus likewise, may the "stamen" of the
cannibal himself remain alone, without any of its expanding fluids, and be
filled up with others at the resurrection; and he accordingly
may rise likewise in his "own" body.----To conclude, adds he, since
the "own" body must be considered abstractly from any humours and
juices; and since all that serves for the food and nourishment of a man eater,
must only be divided from the "visible" body of the person devoured;
it is plain, that although a cannibal had devoured hundreds of
"visible" bodies of other men; it would likewise happen, according to the common course of nature, that the solid
particles, divested of all their juices, or the own bodies of the devoured
persons, would be discharged, or cast out, unmingled with those of the
devourer; and consequently, that each of them might appear separate and entire,
at the time of its resurrection {52}. So that upon the whole, there can be
nothing in the above objections, to a rational man, who believes
the power, promise, and providence of God.
To conclude, this doctrine appears
to be of great importance and usefulness, and therefore to be abode by. It is
one of the articles of the creed of the ancient Jews; it is reckoned among the
first principles of the doctrine of Christ; it is a fundamental article of the Christian faith. The resurrection of Christ
stands and falls with it; the whole gospel is connected with it, and depends on
it, #1Co 15:13-17 without this, there is no expectation of a future and better
state, #1Co 15:18,19 practical religion greatly depends on the truth and belief
of it. It has been observed {53}, that the opposers of it have always had bad
lives; it is a natural consequence, what the apostle
observes of the denial of it, #1Co 15:32. Whereas, a firm belief of it,
promotes a studious concern of a holy life and conversation, as may he observed
in the experience and practice of the apostle Paul, #Ac 24:15,16. It is very
useful to instruct in various things. It serves to enlarge our views of the
divine perfections; as of the omnipotence and omniscience of God, of his
holiness and justice, of his immutability in his counsels
and purposes, and of his faithfulness in his promises and threatenings. It
teaches us to think highly of Christ, as God over all, and as possessed of all
divine perfection, since he has so great a concern in it; and serves to endear
the Spirit of God, and teach us not to grieve him, by whom we are sealed to the
day of the redemption of our bodies. And it may be a means of encouraging our faith and trust in God, in the greatest straits and difficulties,
as being able to deliver out of them, #Ro 4:17 2Co 1:9,10. And it may direct us
to a due and proper care of our bodies, while living, that they are not abused
through avarice or intemperance; and to provide or give orders for the decent
interment of them after death. This doctrine affords much comfort; hence, in
the Syriac version of #Joh 11:24 it is called, "the
consolation at the last day". It may be of great use to support saints
under the loss of near relations, #1Th 4:13,14 and under their various trials
and afflictions, and under present diseases and disorders of body; from all
which they will be freed at the resurrection; and in the views of death, and of
the changes the body will undergo after death; and yet, after all rise again,
and see God, and enjoy the company of angels and saints,
#Job 19:26,27.
{1} Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 2. c.
7.
{2} Palaephat. de Incredib. p.
56.
{3} De Praescript. Haeret. c.
2.
{4}
Chrysostom. & Oecumen. in Act. 17.
{5} avelpistoi. te yanontev.
Theocrit. Idyll. 4.
{6} Plin. Nat. Hist. 1. 7. c.
55.
{7} Caecil. in Minut. Fel.
Octav. p. 10.
{8} Celsus in Origen. contr.
ibid. p. 240.
{9} Cyril.
Alex. contr. Julian. l. 7.
{10} Tatian. contr. Graecos
Orat. p. 146.
{11} Antoninus the emperor, of
this sect, says, "When men are dead they exist no more, but are entirely
extinct", De Seipso, l. 12. c. 5.
{12} The Indians of North
America used to say when this doctrine was mentioned, "I
shall never believe it", Mather's History of New England, b. 3. p. 192.
though the inhabitants of Virginia and Louisiana are said to believe it; but
perhaps this is a mistake. See Hody's Resurrection, p. 45,46,49.
{13} Of these notions of the
heathens, see Hody's Resurrection of the same body, p. 3, &c. and Gale's
Court of the Gentiles, par. 1. b. 3. c. 7. p. 81, 82. and par. 2. b. 2. c. 8. p. 189.
{14} In Phaedone, p. 53-55.
& in Philebo, p. 536.
{15} De Republ. 1. 10. p. 761.
{16} See more of these things
in Serms. on the Resurrec. s. 1. p. 5, 6, &c.
{17} De Resurrectione, p. 49. 5.
See serm. 1. on the Resurrection, p. 11, 12, &c. where
these things are more enlarged on.
{18} Epist. contr. Haeres. l.
1. haeres. 17.
{19} Joseph. de Bello Jud. l.
2. c. 8. s. 11.
{20} Ibid. s. 14. et Antiq. l.
18. c. 1. s. 3.
{21} Joseph. de Maccabaeis, s.
20.
{22} Vid.
Menasseh Ben Israel de Resurrect. l. 1. c. 3. s. 6.
{23} Calvin. Mercer, &c.
{24} Enjedinus, p. 51. Volkel.
de Relig. ver. l. 3. c. 11. p. 59, 60.
{25} Hieron. ad Pammach. tom.
2. p. 59. 1.
{26} Philosoph. S. S. Script. c.
8. p. 102.
{27} Aben
Ezra et Kimchi in loc. T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 90. 2.
{28} Of the proof from
scripture passages and doctrines more largely, see my Sermons on the
Resurrection, serm. 1. p. 17-30.
{29} Pocock, Specim. Hist.
Arab. p. 145. & Not. Miscel. in Port. Mosis. c. 7. p. 269. Reland. de
Relig. Moham. l. 1. p. 53, 54.
{30} Drus.
Observ. l. 4. c. 6.
{31} See Sermon 2. on the
Resurrection, p. 40, &c.
{32} Vid. Aug. de Civ. Dei, l.
20. c. 23. who instances in Gen. xvii. 5. compared with Gen. xxii. 18.
{33} See Sermon 2. p. 36-40.
{35} Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 6.
c. 37. Aug. de Haeres. c. 83. Isidor. Orig. l. 8. c. 5. so Hobbes's Leviathan,
c. 38, 44.
{36} Vid. Calov. Socinism.
Profligat. s. 10. art. 1. controv. 1. p. 1017.
{37} "Nil enim est, quod
perire funditus possit", &c. Servius in Virgil. Georgic. l. 4. p. 334.
{38} "Sic et
resurrectionis vocabulum non aliam rem vindicat, quam quae cecidit",
Tertull. ad v. Marcion. l. 5. c. 9.
{39} See a trifling criticism
of Mr. Locke's on this text exposed in Serm. 2. on the Resurrection, p. 62, 63.
{40}
Nieuwentyt's Religious Philosopher, vol. 3. contempl. 28
{41} Ibid. s. 3. p. 1037.
& s. 5. p. 1040.
{42} Ibid. s. 7. p. 1046. see
contempl. 29. p. 1078, 1079.
{43} Ibid. s. 9, 10. p. 1048,
1049.
{44} Nieuwentyt's Religious
Philosopher, vol. 3. contempl. 28. s. 2023. p. 1058, &c.
{45}
Ibid. s. 24, 25, 28. p. 1063, &c.
{46} Hody's Resurrection of
the same Body asserted, p. 205.
{47} Athenagoras de
Resurrectione, p. 44, 48.
{48} In Hody, p. 186.
{49} Nieuwentyt ut supra, s.
33. p. 1072, 1073.
{50}
Ibid, s. 11. p. 1051, 1052.
{51} Hody ut supra, p. 185,
186.
{52} Vid. Nieuwentyt, ut
supra, s. 29. p. 1067, 1068, & s. 33. p. 1073.
{53} "Nemo enim tam carnaliter
vivit, quam qui negant carnis resurrectionem", Tertull. de Resurrectione,
c. 11.