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other forts and fects of men," not as a distinct propofition, but as a further explication only of what had preceded. Had he not been very eager to find out miftakes in what I have faid, he would not thus, in one place, have ftrained my words to fuch a fenfe, as he owns, in another, they will not bear; nor have ventured to fay and unfay the same thing in a few pages, rather than mifs this fmall occation of a cavil.

As to my fecond propofition, That "were "there no life [or, had we no hope of a better "ftate] after this, the beft men would be often "the most miserable [all other forts and fects of "men having the advantage of us Chriftians, "upon fuch a fuppofition-I do indeed fix it exprefly on the apoftle; and am now ready to prove, that I have not fadly (or at all) mistaken his meaning.

The apoftles words are, If in this life only we hote in Chrift, We are of all men met mijerable. Wherein have I mifapprehended him?

Is it, because I fuppofe thofe Corinthians, whofe opinions he here encounters to have difbelieved a future ftate, as well as the "refurection of the body?" No man, who reads St. Paul attentively, can fuppofe otherwife Lefs cannot be fignified even by that phrafe in the text which speaks of them, as "having hope in Chrift in this life only. Sadducizing Chriftians, fuppofe, they were who fid, "There was no refurrection, neither angel nor fpirit," Acts xxiii. 8. affirming perhaps, with ymenæus and Phizetu, that the "refurrection was paft already (2 Tim. ii. 17. 18) and that what our Saviour had taught on that head, was

not

not to be understood litterally, but allegorically, of the new birth of the foul, and of its riding from the death of fin to the life of righteoufnefs, by the efficacy of the Christian doctrine, and the operation of a divine priciole on the hearts of believers. The Sadducee* held (and fo, it is likely, did thefe Corinthian) at virtue and vice were tlves; and therefore,

a fufficient reward to th

that future rewards and punishments were not neceffary to justify the prefent distributions of providence. However, that they denied a future tate, either exprely or by plain conte quence, is evident from feveral of St. Paul's reafanings in this chapter, which are of no force but only upon that fuppofition; as 27ge", in his comments on St. Mitthe, largely and irrefragably proves. p. 486, 487. It will not boccaflary to produce his words, fince the Letter writer feems to have yielded this point, where he ovns, that St. Pul "is here arguing against fo ne weak perfons in "the church at Corinth, who profeffed to believe "in Fefs Chrift, and yet denied the general re❝ furrectɔn, and conf query (fys he) the rewards future Aute." L P 0.

Am I then mistaken in extending the apo tle's affertions to Chriftians in genera? 66 We are of "all men mot miferable!" that is, You, and I, and all who profefs to live up to the trist rules of the Chriftian inftitution, without a profpect! The Letter-Writer fhall vonch in this respect alfo: For he thus expor word, WE, "We Chriftians," (k. p. o

Jofeph. Ant. L. xiii. c. 9 Beli jud .. 4.8

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"who now believe in Chrift ;" (p. 9) in which expofition he is fo conftant and uniform, (See L. p. 16, 17, 18, 19.) that I need not, in order to any advantage I may draw from thence in the prefent difpute, be at the trouble of proving the truth of it.

Thus far then we are agreed. In what points do we differ? why chiefly, if not wholely, in this; that "I make that a general propofition, and "accommodate it to all times, which the apoftle "hath made a particular one, by accommodating "it manifeftly to the times of the bittereft per"fecution;" (L. p. 14.) what he fays, being "fpoken merely with refpect to the bitter fuffer

ings the profeffion of Christianity then expofed "its profeffors to.' (L. p. 10.) Upon this Head I join iffue with him; and proceed therefore to prove that St. Paul's Affertion is not (as he affirms)"limited to the times of the moft grievous "perfecution." (L. p. 18) That it includes them, I have owned, (Pref. p. 7.) but that it is confined to them I abfolutely deny; and I think with good reafon. For, as to the words themfelves, there is nothing in them that founds that way, or points particularly at the cafe of Perfecution. It is owned, that the apoftle fpeaks here of Chriftians in general,' that is, of Chriftians, as diftinguifhed from other fects and profeffions of men why muft thefe Chriftians needs be confidered as in a fuffering State? What ground, what colour, is there for fuch a Reftriction? There are but two things urged, or infinuated, by the Letter-Writer in behalf of it. And one of them is, the Coherence of the text with the preceding

preceding verfe, where mention is made of "thofe "who were fallen afleep in Chrift;" which expreffion he would willingly fo understand, as if it were intended particularly to fignify the "Mar66 tyrs, who had laid down their lives for Chrift's "fake, and died, not only in his faith, but for it," (L. p. 9.) and, indeed, if the apoftle be there fpeaking of the Martyrs and their fufferings, it will be natural to understand what follows, in the next verfe, of a fuffering State, and of that only. But this Restriction is altogether as groundlefs as the former. For by "those who were fallen "asleep in Christ," the apoftle manifeftly means, not the Martyrs alone, but all "departed Chri"ftians;" as our learned Gataker proves from various authorities, which I forbear to repeat, because the thing is otherwife fufficiently evident ; for the οι κοιμηθεντες εν Χρισω, ver. 18. are plainly opposed to thofe who were ftill living, of whom the apoftle fpake in the 17th verfe. And therefore he adds (ver. 20.) that Chrift, by rifing,

became the firft fruits of them that flept," * κεκοιμημένων, Now Chrift was not the firf fruits of the refurrection, in refpect of the Martyrs only, but of all who died in the Chriftian faith; and therefore "they, who were fallen afleep in "Chrift," muft comprehend all that died in the faith of Chrift, whether by martyrdom or otherwife. The apoftle employs the fame word twice more in this chapter, ver. 6. where he affirms Chrift, after his refurrection, to have been "feen "by five hundred brethren at once; of whom❞

• Adv. Misc. Cap. xvii. p. 167.

(fays

iv. 15

av:

(fays he) the greater part remain unto this pre "ent; but fome are fallen afleep," Again, ver. 51. "We fhall not all fleep," (n= Income)" but we fhall all be changed." In both Φησομεία) thefe places, Sleeping are oppofed to Living, not to martyred Chriftians; and fo likewife 1 Theff. "We which are alive, and remain unto "the coming of the Lord, fhall not prevent them "who are afleep," τις κοιμηθενίας, Nor is there a fingle paffage in the New Teftament *, where the word (taken in its metaphorical fenfe) fignifics otherwife For as to what is faid of St. Stephen, that "he fell asleep," Exon, (Acts vii. 60.) it means no more that he died; though from the circumftances of his death, before related, it appears, that he died by martyrdom.

6

I was willing to clear the fenfe of this Phrafe beyond difpute, becaufe, leading to the affertion of the text, it is of great ufe to fhew the extent of ir, and to prove that it is not limited to the times of the most grievous pefecution,' as this author peremptorily affirms, L. p. 1. However, he hath still another evidence of this limitation in referve. For, that St. Pau fpeaks this merely • with respect to the bitter fufferings the profeffion of Chriftianity expofed its profefiors to, is (he fays) evident from verfes 30, 31, 32." (L. p. 10. The words of which run thus: And [if the dead • rife not at all] why ftand we in jeopardy every hour? I protest by your rejoicing, which I have in Chrift Jefus our Lord, that I die daily. If

See Matth. xxvii. 52. 1 Cor. vii 39. xi. 30.

John is 11.
Theff. iv. 13, 14.

Acts xiii. 36. 2 Pet. iii. 4. ' after

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