A continuation of the exposition of the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the…

and the Lusts of men would quickly obliterate all those notions of a Deity, as also of good and evil in their practice, which should preserve them from Atheism and Bestiality. Neither do we ever see any man giving himself up to the unbelief of these things, but that immediately he casts off all considerations of any public or private good, but what is centred in himself, and the satisfaction of his Lusts.

and the Lusts of men would quickly obliterate all those notions of a Deity, as also of good and evil in their practice, which should preserve them from Atheism and Bestiality. Neither do we ever see any man giving himself up to the unbelief of these things, but that immediately he casts off all considerations of any publick or private good, but what is centred in himself, and the satisfaction of his Lusts.

But it will be asked, whether the belief of the Immortality of the Soul be not sufficient to secure Religion, without the addition of this Article of the Resurrection. This indeed some among the ancient Heathens had faint apprehensions of, without any guess at the Resurrection of the body. And some of them also who were most steady in that persuasion, had some thoughts also of such a Restoration of all things as wherein the bodies of men should have their share. But as their thoughts of these things were fluctuating and uncertain, so was all their Religion also, and so it must be on this Principle. For there can be no Reconciliation of the Doctrine of future Rewards and Punishments to be righteously administered, unto a supposition of the separate everlasting subsistence of the Soul only. That is, Eternal Judgment cannot be on satisfactory grounds believed, without an antecedent acknowledgement of the Resurrection of the dead. For what Justice is it, that the whole of blessedness or misery should fall on the Soul only, where the body hath had a great share in the procurement of the one, or the other? or that, whereas both concur unto the doing of Good or Evil, the Soul only should be rewarded or punished? especially considering what influence the body hath into all that is Evil, how the satisfaction of the flesh is the great inducement unto Sin on the one hand, and what it often undergoeth and suffereth for that which is good? Shall we think that God gave Bodies to the holy Martyrs, only to endure unexpressible Tortures and Miseries to death for the sake of Christ, and then to perish for ever? And this manifesteth the great degeneracy the Jewish Church was now fallen into; For a great number of them were Apostatized into the Atheism of denying the Resurrection of the dead. And so confident were they in their Infidelity, as that they would needs argue and dispute with our Saviour about it, by whom they were confounded; but after the manner of obstinate Infidels, not converted,