never again be feparated, but fubfist in that Union for ever. ་ Several other reafons might be alledged, if this one did not make it abundantly clear, that the Refurrection, which our Saviour here treats of and proves, is the Refurrection of the Body. The only thing then, which remains to be Illuftrated, is, That fuppofing our Bleffed Saviour's Argument to be a proof of the Refurrection of the Body, it will not from this fuppofition follow, that the Bodies of the Perfons here spoken of were Raised to life again, at or before the time, when God declared himself to be their God. For the Confirmation of which it is obfervable, that the * Expression, from which our Lord argues, is not reftrain'd to any thing Actually accomplished by Almighty God, at the time when he fpake unto Mofes. For the reading of the Hebrew text is not, as in our English verfion, I am the God of Abraham, but I the God of Abraham; And in the fame manner is the Greek text read in † St. Mark. And granting that the word fo omitted is to be Underftood, as it is usually, in the like cafe, in other Hebrew texts; yet this is no reafon of restraining God Almighty's Declaration to any thing that he had vouchfafed to the Patriarchs at the time, when he declared himself Their God: Which appears from the use of the same Expreffion in Parallel texts, as, Ifa. xli. 10. where God thus fpeaks unto Ifrael, Be not difmayed, for I thy God, or I am thy God: And that he declares himself to be fo, not in relation to Paft, but Future favours, is evident from the Importance of this Declaration, by himself Immediately fubjoyned; I will strengthen thee, yea I will help thee, yea I will upbold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. And fo our Blessed Saviour interprets these words of God Almighty, concerning the three Perfons in the Text, as an Affurance given by him, that he will Raise them from the dead. Since then Chrift did intend by this Argument directly to prove the Refurrection of the Body, and fince the expreffion, upon which this Proof depends, is not reftrain'd F ftrain'd to any thing Actually performed at the time, when God fpake unto Moses; it hence appears, that by these words, in the Affumption of the Argument, God is not the God of the dead, nothing is meant but this, That God Almighty cannot Properly be called the God of thofe, who shall never be Restored to the Perfection of their Being, by the Re-union of Body and Soul: From which it is the Direct and Immediate consequence, that those Dead men, whofe God he declares himfelf to be, fhall be fo Reftored. And therefore the other part of the Affumption, that God is the God of the living, as it is here applied to the Deceafed Patriarchs, does denote, that though their Souls be at prefent Separated from their Bodies, yet God hath not Finally abandon'd them to that ftate of Imperfection, but will certainly Reftore them to their Entire nature, and by the conjunction of Body and Soul conftitute them Living men. And upon this account, even those, who are Dead, are faid to live unto God; for he is their God, as he is called the God of the living, in refpect of that life, which he he will hereafter vouchfafe unto them; and that with the fame propriety of Speech, which Chrift himself makes ufe of, when he says of himself, * I am the Refurrection; which cannot be understood of his having effected the Refurrection, when this was spoken, but must fignify, that he would afterwards Raise the dead. The Doctrine thus proved by our Bleffed Saviour, may be confirmed by the concurrent Testimony of other Texts. St. Paul affures us, that our Bodies will be made Immortal; † We know, that if our earthly houfe of this tabernacle were diffolved, we have a building of God, an houfe not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens; for it seems very plain from what follows, that by the house not made with hands, is meant the Immortal state of our Bodies: ‡ In this we groan earnestly, defiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven; which cannot be understood of the Heavenly mansions, -but of the Body. And this is ftill more * Joh. xi. 25. † 2 Cor. v. I. ‡. 2. clear * clear from a further observation made by the Apostle, not that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, i. e. according to the true fenfe of the text, given by + St. Chryfoftom, not that we would be Deprived of our Bodies, but Clothed with them in their state of Immortality; for it is added, that Mortality might be swallowed up of life. And though this paffage be understood of thofe, who will be found alive, when Chrift fhall come to Judge the world; yet 'tis at the fame time a very good Argument for the Refurrection of other mens Bodies from the Grave; because it is not to be imagined, that the Soul of one man fhould either remain without a Body, or be United to a Different Body from that, in which it lived before, when another shall fubfift in the fame Body render'd Immortal. However, we are not left under Uncertainty and Conjecture in this matter; for St. Paul hath af fured us, that they which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, Shall *. 4. Homil. 10. in 2 Cor. . 16. y. 17. I Theff. iv. y. 15. not |