CHAP.

NAY, it infers Chriftianity in the great Ar-, XIX. ticle of the Resurrection of the BODY. For, if God is a Rewarder of Man, then Man doing his Duty in that Faith, will meet with a Reward worthy of God to confer. Now Sin, deriving its Source from the Devil, being, in his firft State, an unnatural Thing (for that can never be natural which is the Abhorrence of our Nature) as well to Man, as to the Conftitution of Things, occasion'd the Punishment, Death, the Separation of Soul and Body, the two constituent Parts; which Separation was to be fure unnatural to Man, and befide the original Defign of his Maker. As the Sinner therefore tranfgreffes in that Body of Sin and Death which is Partner to the Soul; if he is ever to be forgiven, and rewarded moreover, according to The Suppofition, for diligently feeking God, then he must be recompens'd in both Parts of himself, which infers the Refurrection of his Body, wherein he both sinn'd, and serv'd God; and there can be nothing to hinder fuch a compleat re-inftating Reward, but the Want of Power in the Rewarder; a Notion repugnant to Reason, and utterly unworthy of God. But God having not only pass'd the Sentence of Death, but inflicted it moreover, fome Perfon must interpofe as a Saviour from him, to take off that Sentence, and restore the Body to Life and Immor tality allo.

AND who is that but Christ the Lord? He, and he only is the Saviour of the Body, as well as of the Soul; and, tho' the Immortality of the Soul was every where talk'd of and believ'd in moft Places, he was the first that

brought

CHAP. brought that new Thing, the Life and ImmortaXIX. lity of the BODY to light, by its Refurrection;

which feems to be the true real Senfe of Gofpel Life and Immortality. And was not the firft Man presently after the Sentence of Death, comforted with the Promife of this Redeemer? And it is very obvious to believe, that Job had the Tradition and Relifh of this Promise upon his Mind for preferving his Integrity, in the Profeffion of his immoveable Faith, that he knew that his Redeemer liv'd, &c. Moft certainly, God could never have been an exceeding great Reward to Abraham, Ifaac and Jacob, any otherwife than to their Faith and full Perfuafion of the Refurrection of the Dead, i. e. of their Body; but must prove a very defective Rewarder, and might be afham'd to be call'd their God, if that was not accomplish'd; if that was not fecured to them, he deferv'd not the Title of being their God, or fo much as their conftant Friend. For, if he affured and contracted himfelf to them to be their God, whilft living in the Body; they might, and did affure themselves that God changes not, and therefore, tho' their Bodies died, there must be an After-change in them, to make their Corruption live again, that they may be again redintegrated in their proper Perfons, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and for ever enjoy the Confolation and Reward of their Travail, of God's being not the God of the Dead, but of the Living. Tho' there were a thousand domeftick Proofs of his Love and Care, that he was Abraham's God, Ifaac's God, and Jacob's God, yet where was the Evidence of his individual Love and Refpect to the Compound of their Perfons, if one half thereof was to lye always in the Grave? therefore Abraham being

dead

.

dead, Ifaac dead, Jacob dead, and fo every CHAP. other diligent feeker of God, muft all become XIX. living, and their Faith fecures it to them. The juft fhall live by this Faith, and feed and fupport their prefent Life upon that pregnant Justice and Promise of God.

NOR can any thing lefs be a proper Reward for good Men, who diligently feek God, or worthy of him to confer. For tho' their Souls in a separate State may be as happy as God intended they fhould be without their Partner the Body, yet, as the Death of the Body is the certain Punishment of Sin; if that Punishment continues for ever, he would for ever reward and punish at the fame Time; but that being inconfiftent as well with the Divine Perfections, as the compleat Happiness of Man, there must be a Re-union of Body and Soul to Life and Immortality; that the Man may be compleated, and, released from all Effects of Death, and live, and be entire, and be immortal alfo. The Body being an effential Part of Man, according to God's original Composition of his Nature, the Salvation of Man can never be compleated but in the Refurrection of that Part of him. For, according to the Nature of Things, as the Separation of Soul and Body is with the greatest Reluctance; not an originally natural, but a fuperinduced, violent State; the Soul must be supposed to retain an ardent Defire of Re-union to its dear Mate and Partner, (better habited and conditioned) and that Defire, being reasonable, and as natural as the closing of a Wound in the Flesh, would be fruftrated, and Man, the Delight of God, without a Refurrection of his Body, would remain unclothed, dif-junct,

without

CHAP. without-himself, and befide-himself. So comfortXIX. able and agreeable to the Nature of Man and the true Constitution of things is the Religion of Chrift, whilst it confults the Refurrection of the Body.

BUT, I wonder, how any modern Deift can look a Man in the Face, when, joining in a Rebellion against Chrift and his Religion, he is in a direct Confederacy for robbing every Man he meets of one half of his Conftitution, as far as in his Power, by denying the Resurrection of his Body; and at the fame time seriously exposes (tho' under a Laugh of ridiculing the Contrary) the Ridiculoufnefs of his own Faith and Sentiments, in running directly counter to the true Nature and Conftitution of Things. For the Deifts I have been arguing with, reject this Faith, and the pofitive Distributions of future Rewards and Punishments, which can only be explicitly known from Revelation, either who is the Judge, or what will be the Sentence; and fo by rejecting the pofitive Obligations of Morality and Religion, they confequently fubvert both the Law and Religion of Nature.

TAKE away thofe Rewards and Punishments, there will be neither Law nor Religion, and fo in proportion as you diminish one, you leffen the Ufe and Operation of the other, and ftop their good Effect for this World, as well as for the next. Whoever is in earnest perfuaded, and not afraid of the Certainty of them, in general, either in a real, or affected State of Natural Religion, will ever be fincerely difpofed to receive further Difcoveries from Revelation as it offers, and be glad of an opening, for bringing their implicit, to the Light of that Faith, which

1

XIX.

is explicit and particular in fo affecting a Con- CHAP. cern. For reveal'd Faith is not only the Strength and Stability, but the trueft and best Explanation of Natural Faith; unfolding and difplaying as well the Knowledge of the true Nature of God and his Ways more and more perfectly, as the Knowledge of the Nature of Man and his Ways revealing the true Source of the Corruption of Human Nature, to the Truth not only of its Cure and Remedy, but of its highest Happiness and greatest Perfection. YE BELIEVE IN GOD, BELIEVE ALSO IN ME.

AND thus, I hope, I have not brought an unfupported, but a well grounded Accufation against thefe Authors, that they have both been. guilty of Mifreprefenting, as well Natural Religion, as Christianity.

AND that the Tendency of their Principles directly lead to Atheism; and confequently that the Conduct of their Difciples without a timely Change, and Repentance, will inevitably conclude in it. And therefore it is hoped that they will at last fee their dangerous Miftake, and candidly admit of this Cure.

P. S. IT has been difagreeable to my Temper, to bring a confequential Charge of Atheism against Perfons profelling Theifm. But I fhou'd have proved as unfair on the Side of Chriftianity and Truth, as they are partial and unjust against it, if I had not calmly and charitably laid the direct Tendency of their Principles before them, and fupported it with convincing Arguments. If Natural Religion and Morality is the Spring