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leges we have enjoyed, the more severely we shall be punished. For, "to whomsoever much is given, "of him shall much be required."8

But if God allows us time, and we make use of it, not only to be sorry for having lived ill-for this alone is not Gospel penitence-but to be sorry from a principle of conscience and to show of what sort our sorrow is, by living well afterwards, in all those respects in which we have been faulty, we become entitled again to the divine favour. For though the Scripture declares it "impossible "to renew some sinners to repentance ;"" yet, if this be taken strictly, it can mean, only, "blasphe"mers against the Holy Ghost." Besides, impossible, in all languages, often signifies no more than extremely difficult; and with God all "things are possible." Experience proves, that great numbers are renewed to repentance; and that they shall not be forgiven, when they repent, is no where said. It is true, "there remains no re more sacrifice for sin,"3-no other method of salvation, than that to which they have lost their claim. But still, if they humbly apply for a fresh interest in it, since the Apostle directs all Christians to restore such to their communion, as brethren, "in the spirit of meekness," there can be no doubt but God will receive them as a father, with pity and mercy. Indeed, the words of St. John, alone, would be sufficient to banish all despondency from the breast of every Christian peniMy little children, these things I write 66 unto you, that ye sin not. But if any man sin, "we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous; and he is the propitiation "for our sins."5

tent. 66

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You see, then, the inestimable goodness of God,

(8) Luke xii. 48. (9) Heb. vi. 4, 6. (1) Matt. xii. 31. (2) Matt. xix. 26.^ (3) Heb. x, 26. (4) Gal. vi. 1. (5) 1 John ii.1.

in providing means, by which we not only shall be pardoned, but have the comfort of knowing beforehand that we shall. But, then, you see also the only terms on which we are to expect it. And these are not that we live on in a circle of sinning and repenting-not that we abstain from some sins, and indulge others-but that we so repent of all our sins, as not wilfully to sin again. And till we are arrived at this, we must never think ourselves in a safe condition. For, as on the one hand, if the wicked man turn from his wicked66 ness, he shall live;"6 so on the other, "if the "righteous man turn from his righteousness, he "shall die."7 "Blessed are they whose trans"gression is forgiven, and whose sin is covered. "Blessed are they to whom the Lord imputeth "not iniquity; and in whose spirit there is no "guile."3

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LECTURE XVI.

CREED.

Articles XI. XII. Part I. The Resurrection of the Body, and the Life Everlasting.

THE Resurrection of the Body, and Life Everlasting, being the consequences of the preceding Article, the forgiveness of sins; our belief of that comfortable truth, leads us naturally to believe these also. And as they complete the whole of what we are concerned to know; so here the profession of our faith happily concludes, having brought us to the "end of our faith, the salvation "of our souls."9

(6) Ezek. xviii. 21, 27.

(7) Ibid 24. (9) 1 Pet. i. 9.

(8) Psalm xxxii. 1, 2.

But though this part of our Creed expresses only two things: yet, it implies two more; and so comprehends the four following particulars :

I. That the souls of all men continue after death.

II. That their bodies shall, at the last day, be raised up, and re-united to them.

III. That both souls and bodies of good persons shall enjoy everlasting happiness.

IV. That those of the wicked shall undergo everlasting punishment.

I. That the souls of all men continue after death. We are, every one of us, capable of perceiving and thinking, judging and resolving, loving and hating, hoping and fearing, rejoicing and grieving. That part of us which doth these things, we call the mind, or soul. Now, plainly, this is not the body. Neither our limbs, nor our trunk, nor even our head, is what understands, and reasons, and wills, and likes or dislikes; but something that hath its abode within the head,1 and is unseen. A little consideration will make any of you sensible of this. Then, further, our bodies increase from an inconceivable smallness, to a very large bulk, and waste away again; and are changing, each part of them, more or less, every day. Our souls, we know, continue all the while the same. Our limbs may be cut off one after another, and perish; yet the soul not be impaired by it in the least. All feeling and motion may be lost almost throughout the body, as in the case of an universal palsy; yet the soul have lost nothing. And though some diseases do, indeed, disorder the mind, there is no appearance that any have a tendency to destroy it. On the contrary, the greatest disorders of the understand

(1) In quo igitur loco est [mens]? Credo equidem in capite; & cur credam, ad ferre possum. Cic. Tusc. Disp. 1. 1. c. 29.

ing are often accompanied with firm health and strength of body; and the most fatal distempers of the body are attended, to the very moment of death, with all possible vigour and liveliness of understanding. Since, therefore, these two are plainly different things; though we knew no further, there would be no reason to conclude, that one of them dies, because the other doth. But since we do know further, that it can survive so many changes of the other; this, alone, affords a fair probability, that it may survive the great change of death. Indeed, whatever is once in being, we are to suppose continues in being, till the contrary appears. Now the body, we perceive, becomes at death insensible, and corrupts. But to imagine the same thing of the soul, in which we perceive no change at that time, would be almost as groundless as if, having frequently heard the music of an organ, but never seen the person that played on it, we should suppose him dead, on finding the instrument incapable of playing any more. For the body is an instrument adapted to the soul. The latter is our proper self; the former is but something joined to us for a time. And though, during that time, the connexion is very close, yet, nothing hinders, but we may be as well after the separation of our soul from our present body, as we were before, if not better.

Then consider further when the body dies, only the present composition and frame of it is dissolved, and falls in pieces; not the least single particle of all that makes it up, returns to nothing; or can do, unless God, who gave it being, thinks fit to take that being away. Now, we have no reason to imagine the soul made up of parts, though the body is. On the contrary, so far as the acutest reasoners are able to judge, what perceives and wills, must be one uncompounded sub.

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stance. And not being compounded, it cannot be dissolved, and therefore, probably, cannot die. God, indeed, may put an end to it, when he pleases But since he hath made it of a nature to last for ever, we cannot well conceive that he will destroy it after so short a space as that of this life; especially considering, that he hath planted in our breast, an earnest desire of immortality, and a horror at the thought of ceasing to be. It is true, we dread also the death of our bodies, and yet we own they must die; but then we believe, that they were not at first intended to die; and that they shall live again wonderfully improved. God hath, in no case, given us natural dispositions and hopes, which he purposed, at the same time, to disappoint; much less, when they are such, that the wisest and best men feel the most of them, and are made still wiser and better by them.

Besides, there are plainly in our souls, capacities for vastly higher improvements, both in knowledge and goodness, than any one arrives at in this life. The best inclined, and most industrious, undeniably have not near time enough to become what they could be. And is it likely, that beings qualified for doing so much, should have so little opportunity for it; and sink into nothing, without ever attaining their proper maturity and perfection? But further, not to urge, that happiness here is very unequally divided between persons equally entitled to it, which yet is hard to reconcile with God's impartial bounty; it hath been already observed, in speaking of the judgment to come, that though in general, the course of things in this world, doth bear witness to God's love of virtue, and hatred of sin; yet, in multitudes of particular cases, nothing of this kind appears. Not only good persons often undergo, in common with others, the

(2) See Cic. Tusc. Disp. 1-29.

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