Wafts on Death and Heaven, pag. 13.

"

enjoys the Delight, and that too only in its abftracted Nature, and pure intellectual Capacity; it is cut off by Death from all that rich Variety of Pleasure which rifes from its Communion with so noble a Frame as the Body of Man is. It has no Senfes to receive the Satisfactions which arife from the material Part of Heaven: It has no Eyes to behold the glorified Flelh of our Lord Jefus Chrift; no Ears to hear his Voice, no Tongue to converfe with its Saviour. And tho' we are fure there is a Holy Correfpondence between Chrift Jefus and separate Souls, for we are faid to be prefent with the Lord, when we are abfent from the Body, yet this Correfpondence cannot be fo compleat and glorious, as it shall be, when with our Eyes we fee fhall God in the Form of a Man."

And again, [pag. 117.]" The Spirits of Men are form'd on Purpofe for Union with Bodies, and if they could attain compleat Happiness in the highest Degree without them, what need would there be of new creating their Bodies from the Duft? Upon this Suppofition the Resurrection must seem almost in vain."

And again a few Pages after, [pag. 181.] Doubtless there are Pleasures to be enjoy'd

by

by compleat human Nature, by imbody'd Souls, which a mere feparate Spirit is not capable of. Is it not Part of the Blessedness of Human Spirits to enjoy mutual Society, and to hold a pleafing Correfpondence with each other? But whatsoever be the Means and Methods of that Correfpondence in a feparate State, furely it wants fomething of that compleat Pleafure and fenfible Intimacy, which they fhall be made Partakers of, when they shall hold noble Communion in their Bodies raised from the Duft, and refined from every Weakness. Is it not the Happiness of the Saints in Heaven to fee their glorify'd Saviour? But even this Sight is and must be incompleat, till they are endued with Bodily Organs again. What Converse foever the Spirits of the Just have with the glorified Man Jefus, while they are absent from the Body, yet I am perfuaded it is not, nor can it be fo full and perfect in all Respects, as it shall be at the general Refurrection. They cannot now fee him Face to Face in the literal Senfe, and they wait for this exalted Pleasure, this im mediate and beatifick Sight. fob himself yet waits, tho' the Worms have deftroyed his Body, till that glorious Hour, when in his Flesh be fhall fee God, even God his Redeemer, who fhall ftand at the laft Day on the Earth.

Not

Not only all the Saints on Earth, who bave received the First Fruits of the Spirit, wait for the Adoption, that is, the Redemption of the Body; but the Saints in Heaven alfo live there, waiting till the Body be redeem'd from the Grave, and their Adoption shall appear with illuftrious Evidence: when they fhall all look like the Sons of God, like Jefus, the First Beloved and the First Born. The Spirits above, how perfect foever they are in the Joys of the feparate State, yet wait for thofe endless Scenes of unknown Delight that fhall fucceed the Resurrection.

And there is abundant Reasons for it, to be drawn from the Word of God; for the Scripture fpeaks but very little concerning the Blefjedness of feparate Souls, in comparison of the frequent and large Accounts of the Glory and Triumph that fall attend the Sound of the laft Trumpet, and the great Rifing Day. It is to this bleffed Hour that the Apostles in their Writings are always directing the Hope of the Saints. They are ever pointing to this glorious Morning, as the Seafon when they fhall receive their Reward and their Prize, their promis'd Joy and their Crown; as tho' all that they had receiv'd before in their State of Separation, were hardly to be named in Comparison of that more exceeding and eternal Weight of additional

additional Glory"Would one imagine Immortalifts fhould talk in this manner! But who can keep themselves from Inconfiftencies, when attempting to reconcile irreconcileable Things!

And yet this Doctrine fays CRITO, obtain'd in the Church very early.

It did, fays PHILANDER, and has been fo tenderly nurs'd there, that it has almoft juftled out the Refurrection, and not a little perplex'd the great Scheme of our Christian Redemption: And what wonder indeed, when it looks with fo friendly an Aspect, that it requires a narrow Infpection to fee it otherwise, as we ourfelves are an evident Inftance.

You argue fays CRITO, in this Cafe, with fo much Authority, that tho' the Laws of Philofophy feem to run strongly against you, I must confefs that Theology feems to adjudge you the Prize.

The Philofophy of Souls, fays PHILANDER, is fo abftrufe, and the Philofophers here fo intangled, confused, and divided, that tho' they have very well fhewn, that as Men we are wondrously made, and as fome of them. rightly concluded, for future Existence; yet as the Manner of this was what their Reafon could never attain to, and what must therefore, if ever, be learnt in a different School,

School, it evinces at once both the Worth and the Truth of the Gospel, as might be eafily fhewn, were there Time for it, more at large. But it is Time for us now, I believe, to adjourn till to Morrow.

When I fhall expect you, fays THECPHILUS, to meet at my Houfe. To which agreeing the Conference ended..

A

DIALOGUE IX.

S the Morning was agreeably Shady, after two or three Turns in Theophilus's Garden, it was propos'd by CRITo` to fit. in the Arbour, in which being feated THEOPHILUS began. as follows.

I am amazed, fays he to Philander, when I come to reflect on your Evidence, that I could overlook it fo long as I have done. There is one Objection however that I' have not mention'd, and which appears to be fomething confiderable. It is taken

from the Account St. Paul gives us of his being caught up to the third Heaven, and Paradife; from which it is not only inferr'd, that thefe two are two different Places, and the latter especially meant of the feparate State, but also that the Soul is capable of celeftial Pleasures, and can partake of Enjoyments: of this Kind without a Body, he receiving

thefe